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#Outdoors

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Recreational honey-hunting with honeyguides in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Illustration by Carissa Gagashi</p>

outdoors

Ancient honeyhunting practice continues

Scientists have found that human-honeyguide cooperation is used mainly as a recreational activity nowadays. Despite increased education and job opportunities, honey-hunting can survive "without economic incentives for humans, sustained instead by its cultural and social importance"

<p>A seven-week-old vixen fox cub. Foxes are not a protected species here so they can be legally shot and trapped — though it is illegal to poison them. Picture: Chris Radburn/PA Wire</p>

outdoors

Fox-hunting — conflicting attitudes between urban dwellers and farmers

<p>To date, a total of 245 white-tailed eagles, golden eagles and red kites have been released through the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) programme to reintroduce these endangered and once-extinct species. File picture: Valerie O’Sullivan</p>

outdoors

Rewilding for nature recovery

'Eternally confusing' West Cork coastline makes for iconic scenes

outdoors

'Eternally confusing' West Cork coastline makes for iconic scenes

Why early-warning systems matter more than ever

outdoors

Why early-warning systems matter more than ever

Richard Collins: Black Death myths challenged in new research paper

outdoors

Richard Collins: Black Death myths challenged in new research paper

Free the Fifteen protest

Free the 15 penguins campaign highlights captive animals issue

The owners of Sea Life London Aquarium have pledged to listen to "constructive ideas" about the care of their gentoo penguins after a campaign against the birds' captivity

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025

Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Birds of Ireland: Merlin

A merlin is an agile flier when hunting and their pointed wings are visible. They look smaller and darker than a kestrel

Sun, 16 Nov, 2025

a Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) sitting on a post with its wings extended.

Birds of Ireland: Peregrine

Peregrines have slate-grey upperparts and a dark 'teardrop' below their eyes

Sat, 15 Nov, 2025

Tractor spreading artificial fertilizers in field

Phosphate: the world’s most under-appreciated resource

Ireland, like most of Europe, has no significant phosphate rock reserves. Every kilogram of phosphorus used on Irish farms is imported, primarily as processed fertiliser derived from mined rock abroad. That dependence makes Ireland (and the EU) strategically vulnerable

Fri, 14 Nov, 2025

Pair of male and female eursian bullfinch sitting just above water level

Why female mammals live longer than males but female birds die first

Scientists have found that while lifestyle and environment are important, genes also play a part

Thu, 13 Nov, 2025

Hedgehogs getting ready for hibernation

Hedgehogs getting ready for hibernation

Studies from Britain and elsewhere in Europe have found that hedgehog numbers are in steep decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation from changing farming practices and development. As the environment in Ireland is experiencing similar pressures the hedgehog population in Ireland may be similarly affected — link to study below

Thu, 13 Nov, 2025

Autumn weather Sep 1st 2022

Anja Murray: Epic migration of Atlantic salmon in jeopardy

Wild salmon can leap as high as three metres. Perhaps our ancient forbears were aware of the benefits of the rich fatty acids found in salmon flesh that can help our brains to function well, which would explain the folklore association between salmon, stamina and knowledge

Wed, 12 Nov, 2025

Explore Glenary in the Comeragh Mountains — a place of poor land but rich history

S Explore Glenary in the Comeragh Mountains — a place of poor land but rich history

On this hike you'll pass a stone-built farmstead. Known as Park Grub, it was once the upland home of the Ireland family. Ironically, William Ireland, the head of the household, was in the early part of the 20th century the only non-Irish resident in Glenary

Sun, 09 Nov, 2025

Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

Birds of Ireland: Sparrowhawk

This bird of prey flies with rapid wingbeats but does not hover

Sat, 08 Nov, 2025

Donal Hickey: Keep your distance from seals — even the cutest pups

Donal Hickey: Keep your distance from seals — even the cutest pups

Every year, well-meaning members of the public approach seal pups on the beach, not realising the harm it can cause

Thu, 06 Nov, 2025

BRAZIL-CLIMATE-COP30-BELEM-PREPARATION

COP30: Why we need to approach climate action with nature in mind

The viability of our collective future depends on us all using our power to ensure we change the trajectory we are on

Wed, 05 Nov, 2025

Sky Matters: rogue star wandering the galaxy since before the earth or sun was born gets a temporary comet tail

Sky Matters: rogue star wandering the galaxy since before the earth or sun was born gets a temporary comet tail

For most of its journey 3I/ATLAS has been frozen solid, but the warming rays of our Sun are enough to unfreeze some of its gases such as carbon dioxide, generating a faint cometary tail. For a period of a few weeks 3I/ATLAS comes alive, only to pass out of the solar system and spend perhaps the next billion years or more back in its frozen state

Sat, 01 Nov, 2025

Right Whales

Richard Collins: Are we finally going to do right by the 'right whale'?

Slaughter for oil and baleen may have eased but there is a new threat... with the melting of Arctic ice, ship traffic is increasing and these slow-moving giants are being run down by ships

Thu, 30 Oct, 2025

Mink with Wet Fur

Donal Hickey: Mink eradication pilot programme underway in the Midlands

American mink were first recorded in the wild, in Ireland, more than 60 years ago, and have spread countrywide since then. The current population is descended from animals which either escaped, or were released, from mink farms

Thu, 30 Oct, 2025

Anja Murray: Seagrass meadows and other Irish marine life marvels

Anja Murray: Seagrass meadows and other Irish marine life marvels

Dublin lifeguard and diver, Gordon Leonard, saw a seagrass bed just at the shore in Sandycove, County Dublin. He reported the find to Coastwatch Ireland who identified the seagrass he had found as a species previously unknown to the east coast

Thu, 30 Oct, 2025

Flat Lay of Shattered Pumpkins After the Exciting Pumpkin Drop Event

Ireland’s frightening Halloween habit is a curse that can be broken by sustainable choices

Nature’s décor is unbeatable: fallen leaves, pinecones, bare branches, and candlelight (ideally in a glass jar rather than a plastic skull). They’re biodegradable, beautiful, and cost nothing

Wed, 29 Oct, 2025

Birds of Ireland: Barn owl

Birds of Ireland: Barn owl

Barn owls of all ages have a flat, white heart-shaped face and large, black eyes

Sat, 25 Oct, 2025

Empty chair at wedding ceremony

Something borrowed, something green: How I found a sustainable wedding dress

Weddings can generate significant waste. Studies estimate an average Irish wedding produces 10–20 kilograms of plastic from decorations, catering, and more, though this varies by event size and style

Sat, 25 Oct, 2025

Donal Hickey: What you need to know about deer rut season at Killarney National Park

Donal Hickey: What you need to know about deer rut season at Killarney National Park

Great nature photo opportunities here — but don't be one of those amateur photographers who wander into the fields and get too close to the herds, disrupting the animals’ normal routines. And definitely don't approach fighting stags... that's a recipe for disaster

Thu, 23 Oct, 2025

Anja Murray: Is a river alive? And if so, does it have rights?

Anja Murray: Is a river alive? And if so, does it have rights?

Two new EPA reports document an ongoing steady decline in water quality across Ireland's lakes, rivers and estuaries as pollution levels continue to rise. A whopping 44% of Irish rivers now have nitrogen concentrations that exceed healthy limits

Wed, 22 Oct, 2025

A Beautiful Ireland milkyway pictures

Sky Matters: When to see this week's Orionid meteor shower — and how

While dark skies make it easiest to see the Orionids, don’t be put off by not having access to a pristine location

Mon, 20 Oct, 2025

Clapper bridges and stones with healing powers — stories of our ancestors, hidden in the Irish landscape

Clapper bridges and stones with healing powers — stories of our ancestors, hidden in the Irish landscape

Remnants of our past lie all over Ireland, telling the story of the Irish people and their daily lives, how they sustained themselves, their beliefs and traditions, how they died and how they were remembered, writes Deirdre O'Neill

Sun, 19 Oct, 2025

A visit to all eight of Ireland's National Parks

S A visit to all eight of Ireland's National Parks

See how our expert ecologist rated them here...

Sat, 18 Oct, 2025

I am almost done!

Rake expectations: should we be picking up leaves at all?

Leaves aren't litter — they’re the forest’s own recycling system, a slow-release nutrient pack designed to feed soil life and shelter small creatures through the colder months. When they decompose, they release essential nutrients, improve soil structure, and even help lock away a little carbon

Fri, 17 Oct, 2025

Autumn sun shining through tree canopy

Anja Murray: Public land is the low-hanging fruit for nature restoration

The Nature Restoration Law is about proactive restoration, not just within protected sites, but more holistically and throughout the landscape. Rivers and their floodplains; native woodlands; peat bogs and reclaimed peat soils; urban areas and pollinators are all part of the approach to restore the ecosystems we all depend on

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025

Irish buff-tailed bumblebees are genetically distinct from their British counterparts

Irish buff-tailed bumblebees are genetically distinct from their British counterparts

This news has important implications for conservation practices and may also inform the way imported commercial populations are managed

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025

Birds of Ireland: Fulmar

Birds of Ireland: Fulmar

Fulmars have a stout cigar-shaped body and both sexes appear similar

Sat, 11 Oct, 2025

A large number of different human footprints in the sand, background

Rethinking carbon footprints

By focusing public attention on individual choices, your commute, your cup of coffee, your weekend city break, the 'carbon footprint' campaign diverted scrutiny from the systemic scale of fossil fuel extraction and combustion

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

Donal Hickey: Here's how to take part in traditional Burren winterage walk

Donal Hickey: Here's how to take part in traditional Burren winterage walk

Winterage — where cattle move to the uplands for winter grazing — plays a vital role in protecting one of our most biodiverse landscapes.

Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

large school of mackerel

Once 'sustainable' mackerel stocks are drastically declining

While overfishing is the main problem for mackerel stocks, climate change has been having an impact too

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

This could end up being the most radical of all our national parks...

S This could end up being the most radical of all our national parks...

Brú na Bóinne/Boyne Valley National Park may show us the way back from intensive farming practices that leave so little space for nature

Sun, 05 Oct, 2025

Woman taking photo of fern in forest

Tap, snap, explore: Seven science-backed apps to bring nature closer

So, charge your phone, lace your boots and let curiosity lead. These apps are a welcome upgrade from late-night doomscrolling

Fri, 03 Oct, 2025

Testing zebra stripes on cows — with some very positive results

Testing zebra stripes on cows — with some very positive results

How would the Irish countryside look if our farmers were to dress up their cattle as zebras?

Thu, 02 Oct, 2025

Donal Hickey: Extreme care is needed when foraging for mushrooms

Donal Hickey: Extreme care is needed when foraging for mushrooms

We’re told at least 30 species of mushroom here are poisonous. They can cause stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, or hallucinations (from the ‘magic’ variety) — and can be fatal

Thu, 02 Oct, 2025

Geese taken over the soccer field

Anja Murray: Charismatic waterbirds arriving from afar this winter

One of the best things about October is the return of wintering birds, each species with their own backstory and life strategies

Wed, 01 Oct, 2025

Where to pick pumpkins in Ireland in autumn 2025

Where to pick pumpkins in Ireland in autumn 2025

Pumpkin parties, autumn events, pick-your-own-pumpkin festivals — they're all right here

Sun, 28 Sep, 2025

Could paludiculture be Ireland’s next big idea?

Could paludiculture be Ireland’s next big idea?

Farming on wet land instead of drained soils involves a shift in mindset, from battling nature to working with it. And in a country where bogs have shaped our past, paludiculture could play a role in shaping a more sustainable future

Fri, 26 Sep, 2025

Stark pollinator warning: birds, bumblebees and butterflies need more habitat to survive

Stark pollinator warning: birds, bumblebees and butterflies need more habitat to survive

The EU’s 10% natural habitat target is insufficient for pollinator recovery, say scientists — they need 16-37% habitat coverage in farmland ares for effective protection

Thu, 25 Sep, 2025

Migration and aging link revealed by long-term flamingo study

Migration and aging link revealed by long-term flamingo study

Flamingos could hold the secret to slower aging

Thu, 25 Sep, 2025

A Disordered Medicine Drawer Containing Various Pills, Packaging, and Additional Items

Tackling out-of-date medicines — they can be a serious health and environmental risk

Internationally, one of the most pressing health challenges of our time is the problem of bacteria and viruses which resist the effects of medicine. Every antibiotic incorrectly disposed of adds to this problem

Thu, 25 Sep, 2025

Common / Bandit Pipistrelle Bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) hunting at twilight, Berwickshire, Scotland, June 2008

Autumn Equinox and nocturnal animals

From here on in, we will have more darkness than daylight, making this a good time to consider the lives of wild creatures most active at nighttime. Apart from bats, moths and owls, many other creatures also become active as light fades from the landscape. Foxes, badgers, mice, and pine martens are primarily nocturnal, and half of all invertebrates are adapted to life in darkness

Wed, 24 Sep, 2025

Limerick wind turbine plans will ‘decimate’ protected species

Limerick wind turbine plans will ‘decimate’ protected species

Garrane Green Energy's proposed development to build nine wind turbines described as 'devastating'

Sun, 21 Sep, 2025

Birds of Ireland: Storm petrel

Birds of Ireland: Storm petrel

A storm petrel flutters puppet-like with legs pattering and running on the surface when hunting. They have an erratic flight

Sun, 21 Sep, 2025

Man must decide his way forward to success or failure

Ireland’s climate targets: the clock is ticking and the bill is mounting

Despite the daunting gap, Ireland has shown it can bend the emissions curve. A 6.8% drop in one year proves that action, combined with factors like a mild winter and a shift away from coal, has an impact

Fri, 19 Sep, 2025